Tag Archives: short mystery stories

Game Of Blogs – Chapter 29: The mastermind is unleashed!

To read the previous part, click HERE.

By: Keyur Seta

Picture: Tripadvisor.com

Just as Tara somehow managed to produce guts to answer Gupta, her mobile phone ringtone stopped her. Pale and petrified, she glanced at the screen that read, “Shekhar … calling”.

Barely had she touched the ‘answer’ button that Mr.Gupta snatched the phone from her and listened in…

Without waiting for an answer, Shekhar excitedly but slowly spoke from the other line, “Tara, I have an important clue to Roohi’s kidnapping. Please come down to Hotel Descent at Lamington Road ASAP.” He hung up without bothering to listen. He wanted to keep the conversation short since he didn’t want to alert Cyrus and Aryan.

Gupta was alarmed as well as confused after listening to Shekhar.

“What happened papa?” Tara, in a panicky tone, asked but all in vain. Once again, sounds of the chimes due to the winds added extra tension.

Without saying a word, he went inside his room and returned a few minutes later after getting ready to go somewhere. “Come with me,” was what he told Tara in a strict tone and started taking long steps towards the main door. His tone and behavior added fuel to Tara’s already panicky condition. She obediently followed Gupta out of the house.

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After having a one-way conversation on phone, Shekhar once again concentrated on eavesdropping on Cyrus and Aryan’s conversation. “Did I miss anything?” he whispered to Jennifer, to which she just shook her head.

Aryan was continuing to speak in an authoritative tone. “I am sure you are just acting at someone’s behest,” Aryan pointed out.

“Yes,” said Cyrus in a tired tone.

Aryan’s angry voice thundered in the near empty hotel, “Do you want me to provide you a written request to disclose the name of the mastermind?” Despite not being at the receiving end, Shekhar and Jennifer felt a chill through their bodies.

“Speak up,” shouted Aryan as Cyrus was still struggling to speak.

Finally, Cyrus’ lips moved and he revealed the name of the mastermind.

Shekhar and Jennifer froze at the mention of the name. They could only cast a glance at each other as they were too shocked to speak!

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be,” Cyrus continued speaking.

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Girgaum Chowpatty (Picture: Mid-day.com)

It wasn’t a long drive from Walkeshwar to Lamington Road. Gupta and Tara were more than half way to their destination but yet nobody had spoken. They were passing through the area just before Girgaon Chowpatty, which had a splendid view of Mumbai’s sea shore but, obviously, nobody of the two was interested in relishing the view. It was only when they halted at the long signal at Sukh Sagar junction that they started feeling the silence. Being more anxious than Gupta, Tara felt the need to know what was going on.

She mustered up some courage to speak. “What did Shekhar say, papa? And where are we heading suddenly?”

Gupta cast a grim look at Tara and said, “He said he has found an important clue regarding Roohi’s kidnapping and asked you to head to Hotel Descent immediately.”

This confused Tara even more. “Why?”

“We will get to know that soon,” said Gupta while turning left and entering Warerkar Bridge, which was just a kilometer away from Hotel Descent.

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Shekhar, with his head dropped down, was standing outside room number 202. Actually he was just leaning to the wall since his legs were trembling a bit. In fact, he felt all his energy being drained out all of a sudden, as if sucked out by some force.

Jennifer had put her left hand on his right shoulder while trying to console him. Although she too was aghast and shocked by the turn of events, she knew she can never feel what Shekhar was feeling at that time… after knowing that the mastermind behind the kidnapping… was his wife!

To read the FINAL chapter, click HERE.

“Me and my team are participating in Game of Blogs at BlogAdda.com. #Celebrate blogging with us.”

Game Of Blogs – Chapter 27: Who is trailing whom?

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For the previous chapter, click HERE.

By: Keyur Seta

Hustling through the late afternoon traffic, Aryan finally reached Lamington Road in South Mumbai. It was a long time since he last visited this vicinity. The narrow lane was crammed even further with the emergence of shops and hawkers selling all types of computer and mobile equipment; all in your face. Despite being in a hurry to get hold of Cyrus, Aryan couldn’t help but recall the days when he used to visit the area frequently with his friends, mostly to buy some computer hardware parts or pirated movie CDs.

His GPS map told him that Hotel Descent is just besides Imperial Cinema. Aryan was hugely surprised to know that the B-grade specialist single screen theatre is still running in today’s era of multiplexes. Thankfully for him, he somehow managed to find some space to park his car at a corner just ahead of Hotel Descent.

Even before entering the hotel, by just examining the main entrance, Aryan understood the nature of the hotel. It was one of those cheap, shabby hotels that are mostly used for some secret endeavors. The strange smell as he walked up the stairs reinforced his first opinion on the place.

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Picture: Humayunn Niaz Ahmed Peerzada (on Flickr)

All through the long drive, Shekhar and Jennifer were confused as to where Aryan was heading and why. It was more than 30 minutes since they were following him. Despite being an expert detective, Aryan failed to notice Shekhar’s car tailing him. He was a human after all.

And as his car entered the narrow Lamington Road and stopped near a hotel like Descent, their curiosity increased. Shekhar and Jennifer looked at each other, question marks on their faces. It was Jennifer who broke the silence. “A detective like him entering such a hotel?” Shekhar didn’t answer. “Is he such a person?” Jennifer once again asked after a few seconds of silence.

“I don’t think so. However, I don’t know him well,” was all Shekhar could answer.

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Aryan walked straight towards the hotel reception but the middle-aged man seated at the counter showed no interest in looking up at him. There was nobody else around. As Aryan stood still at the counter with his left elbow grounded on it, he could see the man was busy gazing at the pictures of Hindi film actresses from a Hindi newspaper. After a few seconds, the middle-aged man finally took notice of Aryan but through an irritated and questioning look.

“What do you want eh?” the man asked with a frown.

“Cyrus. Room no. 202. I need to meet him urgently,” said Aryan in a calm yet firm tone.

The man’s frown increased. “Look boss, first tell me who are you? And then I will call the person in that room and ask whether you should be allowed in.”

Aryan gave a rude smile. “My name is Aryan. I am going to sneak into Cyrus’ room and you are not going to inform him about my arrival.”

More irritated, the man said, “Look mister. Stop acting like ACP Pradyuman of CID.”

Picture: Uniter.ca

Aryan loved shutting the trap of such chaps with his authority and position. Here he had another opportunity. He slipped out his ID card and shoved it near the man’s face and said, “The only difference between me and Pradyuman is that I am not acting.”

The man went silent. “I am given this task by the local police of this area,” Aryan lied and continued, “So if you stop me from doing my duty, it will account to abetment of crime. What say?”

Aryan didn’t need to speak further as the man respectfully allowed him to proceed. With a naughty smile on his face, Aryan walked towards the elevator to reach room 202 on the second floor.

From a safe distance outside the hotel entrance, Shekhar and Jennifer were curiously watching Aryan’s antics with the man.

What will be their next step? Will Cyrus be exposed?

To know what happened next, click HERE.

“Me and my team are participating in Game of Blogs at BlogAdda.com. #Celebrate blogging with us.”

Game of Blogs – Chapter 14: Two players, one game

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By: Keyur Seta

This post is a part of BlogAdda’s ‘Game of Blogs’ story writing contest. For the previous part, click HERE.

The seashore in front of the Haji Ali dargah had a disappointing look of emptiness due to the low tide. A passionate writer that he was, Shekhar started linking the waterless seashore with his life without his beloved Roohi, as his car passed through the vicinity to reach Mr. Gupta’s place in Walkeshwar. It soon struck him that since every low tide is followed by a high tide; will the same be reciprocated in his life too?… He had no answer to this question; at least as of now.

Before reaching Walkeshwar, Shekhar’s car had passed through Mahalaxmi and Babulnath temples that fall in the way. Needless to say, he sincerely prayed, while driving, at both the places for Roohi’s safety, just like he had done at Haji Ali. Threat of a terrible tragedy instantly transforms you into a believer in spirituality or some higher power.

Haji Ali (Picture Source: http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/ali,haji/Recent)

As Shekhar hesitatingly entered the main gate of Gupta’s bungalow, he realized that the place has retained the same royal touch, including the name plate with the words ‘Shanti Niwas’ inscribed on them. The richness of the place was enough to make him recall Gupta’s many insulting words. But thanks to the gravity of the situation, the past incidents didn’t have much effect on him this time, so much so that he was just about to break his vow, which he had taken years back, of never entering this place ever again. Naturally, the safety of his daughter was many times more important than his vow or ego issues with Gupta.

When Gupta’s servant opened the door, he didn’t recognize Shekhar for obvious reasons. But he led Shekhar to the drawing room after the latter cleared the air about his relation with Gupta. As soon as Shekhar entered the drawing room, Gupta and Tara were taken aback to see him here. They didn’t say a word and neither did Shekhar. Tara was looking at Shekhar with questioning eyes but Gupta ignored him after some initial eye contact. As Shekhar had the vital information about the kidnapper, his awkwardness vanished soon and his mind returned to the important job at hand.

Coming straight to the point, he told Tara, “I have found some vital clue about Roohi’s kidnapping.” Shekhar’s words added to the intensity of the situation. The situation now forced Gupta to look at Shekhar and pay full attention to him.

“What clue?” Tara asked with a serious, expressionless face.

“Wait a minute,” he said and started removing his laptop from his bag. After few moments as the machine got into action, he went into the images folder. All this while, Tara and Gupta were battling their growing anxieties. The tinkling sounds of the chimes due to the sudden winds added extra tension to the situation.

Picture Source: http://myskycastles.blogspot.in/

Finally, the time to end the suspense arrived as Shekhar turned the laptop towards Tara and Gupta and said, “Look at the person at the top-right corner.” Tara and Gupta tilted their heads forward to gape at the man in the background in the picture and were speechless. This was followed by an explanation by Shekhar as to how he came to know out about the kidnapper from the photographs clicked by Jennifer.

The daughter and father were stunned by the turn of events. But the effect of the revelation was tremendous on Gupta and it clearly showed. In fact, he tried hard to hide it but struggled. This ensured an eerie silence in the room for almost half a minute against the sound of the chimes. Confused, Shekhar was about to speak but he was stopped by Gupta’s ringtone, ‘Govind Bolo Hari Gopal Bolo’. Despite it being a religious song, it astonished the three of them.

Gupta answered the call as soon as he saw Krishna’s name on the screen. The ringtone and the name on screen was an interesting combination but Gupta was in no mood to notice it. Pretending not being able to hear the other person, he moved into the corridor leading to the bedrooms. Krishna narrated how someone else had also kidnapped Roohi and how he was still able to get hold of her somehow. Gupta was hugely relieved. After finally breathing properly, he asked, “Is she alright?” As he got the answer in the affirmative, he hung up and asked Krishna to wait for further instructions.

But his relief soon turned into rage thinking about the other man who had kidnapped Roohi first. Standing at the same place, he thought, how can anyone dare kidnap his darling granddaughter? ‘I will make sure that the person pays for this’, he said to himself.

Who else had kidnapped Roohi?

To find out what happens next, click HERE.

“Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.

Game of Blogs – Chapter 6: What happened to Roohi?

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By: Keyur Seta

For the previous part of the story, click HERE.

Shekhar and Tara, both after a long, long time, were holding each other’s hand. For the sake of their daughter, Roohi.

But where was Roohi? What her luck had in store for her?

Roohi was standing at a completely unknown place. It was a wide barren land. The bright sunlight was making it difficult for her to open her eyes to the fullest. She could see a large group of people standing at a distance, staring at her. Was she out of city? Worse, was she in a different country? Why were they staring? Confused and frightened, she tried going close to them to ask what the whole mystery is. But as she went few steps ahead, she got the shock of her life! People went few steps behind; all of them and that too without moving their feet.

Picture Source: ioffer.com

She went few more steps further and the same thing repeated. She kept walking ahead and people kept moving further away from her; now at an even rapid pace. But what was happening now? They were now moving away from her at a crazy speed and were eventually out of sight! Out of fright and shock, Roohi was about to scream but everything went black in front of her eyes. Suddenly some light entered her eyes. The rays were getting brighter along with her endeavor to open her eyes wider and wider. It was the late noon sunlight. She was hugely relieved to know that it was a dream; a very bad dream. The word nightmare hadn’t yet arrived in her vocabulary.

However, her relief was soon transformed into shock. As she was pretty much awake now, she recalled the terrifying incident of a stranger forcefully taking her away on his bike. She half sat on the bed, which wasn’t comfortable for her, and realized she was in an unknown house. Where was she? Who owns the place? She looked around the room. The walls appeared as if they weren’t painted for a couple of decades. The ceiling had cracks. Apart from the bed, there was only a dirty writing table and an equally dirty chair. She could see a blue colored can on the table. She wasn’t mature enough to know it was Fosters beer. There was also a college bag lying at the other side of the table. Did the place belong to that biker? It has to be. But where was he?

“Relax Roohi,” a voice sounded from behind the bed. Although the words were caring, there was a hint of ruthlessness in them. Obviously, the words startled Roohi no ends and, as a reflex action, she jerked behind to see the same biker sitting on a chair in a relaxed position. She hadn’t seen his face earlier due to the helmet but from his clothes and a silver chain with a pendant of a bullet, she could make out it was him. His expression was as contradictory as his words. There was a smile but at the same time, he appeared dangerous. His stony blue eyes, long face and a stubble on his chin made things worse.

Picture Source: goodreads.com

“I… I… I want to go home,” Roohi somehow managed to speak since tears chocked her voice. The man just responded with another wily smile. Roohi’s heart sank further. “Why have you brought me here? Who are you?” Roohi again managed to speak somehow. As her last question ended, the man jumped to his feet. There was a book in his hand. His jerked movements made Roohi’s heart skip a beat. Now there was no contradiction in his expression. The smile had disappeared. His face was all brutal now. In a stern voice he said, “I don’t wish to hurt you. In fact, I am quite a harmless creature. But I have one weakness. I hate questions, especially when they are asked by kids. So if you wish to stay unharmed, just keep your mouth shut.” There was a lot of firmness when he spoke the last five words. This was enough to silence Roohi, at least for some time.

The dangerous stranger picked up a packet of chips and a bottle of water from below the bed, and gave them to Roohi, indicating with a gesture to help herself. With some amount of hesitation, Roohi picked up the bottle. After gulping down the liquid a couple of times, she started struggling with the packet of chips.

With the book in his hand, he walked towards the table. It was a James Hadley Chase novel that he was reading while waiting for Roohi to regain consciousness. He put the novel in his bag that contained a couple of books on law. There was also a bottle of chloroform inside it. As per the instructions given to him, he had used only a minor dose on Roohi. It was inevitable for him to use it to make sure nobody suspected anything. The bungalow was his friend’s and was located at a secluded place near Marve Beach in Malad so hardly anyone would have seen him. But he didn’t want to take any chances.

He turned his head behind to see what Roohi was up to. As he returned his gaze on the table, there was that wily smile again on his face. While keeping the same smile intact, he opened a drawer and picked up a pocket knife from it. With the knife in his hand, he slowly marched towards an unsuspecting Roohi…

Will the innocent little girl be mercilessly killed?

To know whether she survives, read the next part of the story HERE.

“Me and my team are participating in Game of Blogs at BlogAdda.com. #Celebrate blogging with us.”